The Journey

First Sunday of Lent
01 March 2009



Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Genesis 9:8-15
God spoke to Noah and his sons, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’

God said, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the Covenant between myself and you and every living creature of every kind. And so the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all things of flesh.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 24:4-9

Second reading 1 Peter 3:18-22
Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people ‘by water’, and when God was still waiting patiently, that these spirits refused to believe. That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off of physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, now that he has made the angels and Dominations and Powers his subjects.

Gospel Mark 1:12-15
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’

Reflection
By Elizabeth R. Eguia

The Lenten Season started last Wednesday with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads. It is a reminder that we came from dust and unto dust we will return. It is also a good opportunity for us to journey with Christ as we reflect on our lives. The same thing happened to Jesus when He went to the wilderness for 40 days to pray, reflect, and to be one with God. During those times He was also tempted by the devil. But Jesus did not give Satan the opportunity to win. God protected Him all the way with the angels looking after Jesus.

As I try to meditate on this episode of our Lord's life, I remembered suddenly what I wanted to do this Lent. I wanted to discover more about my life, about the saint in me, about the purpose of my life. You know, I often wonder why I feel my life is monotonous: I work, go straight home, pray, go to church on Sundays, go to malls, watch television, chat, surf the net, read books. The same activities which will happen every week and I was thinking that something is really missing. Last night, I was reading one of Bo Sanchez's books and at the introduction he mentioned one thing that strikes me: "There are ordinary people who've been burning with God's extraordinary fire." When I started reading the first article, I was amazed with this individual which Bo interviewed. Despite the trials that passed by his life, he managed to hold on to his faith in God. This leads me to reflect further on my own life. Do I want to live my life doing just the monotonous things? Or do I want to live it with a burning desire to do the simplest things but with much passion and dedication? Are there situations in my life that I was crushed but still held on to Him? Have I held on to my faith especially in trying moments? Let us try to meditate on these questions and together let us start our 40 day retreat with Jesus.





Dear God, thank You for the message You impart on us today. Guide us as we start the Lenten Season with fervent prayers and in-depth reflection of our lives. Send forth Your Spirit to enlighten us and help us discover the burning desires of our hearts so that we may be able to live our lives always in accordance with Your will. This we ask You in Jesus' name and with the intercession of our Mother Mary. Amen.